Of Golden Hearts and Silver Tongues
by Different Realm
Summary: He was born as a brave Muggleborn, his bestfriend a cunning pureblood. Can these two withstand their friendship when it seems everything is trying to break them apart? OC story, set in the Epilogue, ideas welcome.
1. And a Patridge in a Pear Tree

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

A lone figure stood in front of a boundary between Platforms 9 and 10. Small, only about twelve, carrying suitcases and an owl, this sight should have been strange to the many Muggles passing. But to them, it was a regular occurrence. The only thing odd to the Muggles passing was the fact he was alone and much earlier than normal, normally such 'weirdos' came later with family. The small boy sighed. He had requested to arrive early, not wanting to see all the others with parents, happy, smiling, asking 'did you forget this' or 'did you forget that'. Nevertheless, as he walked through the boundary of Platform 9 ¾, he was comforted he was not alone, returning the grin of his irregular, though ever-present, friend and loving sister.

The small boy was Ethan Gaia, the first child with wizarding blood in many generations. Though the name Gaia once was as a prideful and acknowledged name as Black or Malfoy, the magic in the name had long since been lost. The last ones with magic dying before having children, leaving their Squib brother to carry the name. Magic had become so forgotten by the Gaia family that when their children showed it, they were instantly dumped on to the doorstep of the local orphanage. This child was Ethan Gaia, though luckily his sister Ebony quickly joined him. The wizard who explained Hogwarts to him also told him this to try to comfort him and make him feel proud, though Ethan honestly found it something to be quite embarrassed about, especially since the wizard had suggested that a Squib was a less-than-prideful thing to have in your family.

Ethan's friend roughed up his mangy, tan brown hair, a fact which Ethan would of found annoying if he wasn't used to it. This friend was Helge Ulfsang, though he normally introduced himself as 'Nocturne'. As far as Ethan could tell, Nocturne was Norwegian, though he held a neutral accent except when talking in his home tongue. It had been a mystery why he moved to England at a young age for most of Ethan's life, though with the letter to Hogwarts came many of the answers to Nocturne the Enigma. Apparently, the name Ulfsang was a semi-famous pureblood wizarding family in Norway and his mother had asked him to attend Hogwarts prior to death (a subject, much like why he kept his mother's maiden name and what happened to his father, that Nocturne clearly disliked discussing) and moving to England would make things simpler. Nocturne even stated he only picked their orphanage was because it was closest to Platform 9 ¾, a fact all three were glad as fate decided to make them friends (well, two and one saying "if fate existed").

Being friends with Nocturne also gave him and his sister a distinct advantage to other Muggleborns, they actually had someone to help explain everything. His white-haired friend was always keen to lend Ethan and Ebony information about the wizarding world after receiving their letters. Nocturne had been especially helpful after Ethan read through a book titled _'A Muggleborn's Guide to the Wizarding World' _(his sister too busy sending letters via owl to some friends she quickly gained in Diagon Alley), answering any extra questions Ethan had about the wizarding world, though Nocturne always ended with a grin and '_But leave some of the teaching for the Professors, won'tcha?' _or more commonly after rolling his eyes, _'But you'll find all this out at Hogwarts!'_.

Another advantage was Nocturne was incredibly rich due to being in a very long and wealthy family and more than happily paid for everything they needed, and some things they didn't. Despite Ethan pointing out they got some money for second-hand stuff, Nocturne waved off Ethan's concerns with _'I'm not getting my friends second-hand stuff! Plus, best you keep that money for wizard lollies like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, as well as Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes stuff' _before pointing out the next new, shiny thing he'll buy them until Ethan stopped trying to be modest and gave in. Ebony didn't even mind, only thanking him with a big hug before running off to chat with some girls her age, long black hair swishing around as she did so. The constant letters she's sent to her new-found friends was also thanks to Nocturne as well, having bought her a grey, chatty and excitable owl which Ethan rolled his eyes at upon meeting. He silently thanked Nocturne for knowing them so well and not getting him a similar owl. Instead, Nocturne bought him a bigger, more mature dark brown owl that, while kind, wasn't nearly as energetic as Ebony's owl, a fact Ethan liked very much.

Said owl hooted in its cage labelled '_Anima_', Ethan scratching his pet owl with a finger through the bars in her cage before she affectionately nipped at his finger. Nocturne grinned at Ethan. "Used to her yet?" Nocturne asked with a grin. A week previous, when they went to Diagon Alley, Ethan remarked he would never get used to living with an owl that delivered letters.

"Well, you said a lot of things would change once we were introduced to magic, didn't you?" Ethan pointed out, practically quoting what Nocturne had said in rebuttal to his owl statement at Diagon Alley. Nocturne grinned and shrugged, obviously acknowledging Ethan had a point there. Ebony waited impatiently, tapping her foot.

"Why did we have to arrive _an hour early?_ My friends won't be here for _hours!' _Ebony said in an annoyed whine. Ethan, not able to stand such a contradiction, even if slang, quickly pointed out how she clearly made a false comment. Ebony gave an irritated eye roll while Nocturne simply grinned again.

"Come on, while Miss Popular waits for her friends to arrive, let's pick a compartment for _our _friends to arrive," Nocturne said. Ethan sighed. Nocturne had a habit of thinking such a chance meeting would guarantee them to be friends, or at least friendly rivals. Ethan, however, thought such things were just chance, no fate involved. He didn't even believe in fate. Nevertheless, Ethan heaved his stuff onto the Hogwarts Express and picked a compartment. As the two sat opposite to each other, Nocturne asked what, in Ethan's opinion, was a good question. "Which House do you think you'll end up in?"

Ethan pondered from a few seconds. He had already knew about all the Houses of Hogwarts, having read the recent edition of '_Hogwarts: A History'._ He doubted he would end up in Ravenclaw or Slytherin, since he was more a hard worker than natural genius or cunning pureblood. He knew he could be in only two Houses; Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. "Hopefully Gryffindor," Ethan finally answered. "Hufflepuff seems to be a House which isn't too bright and where all the leftovers go and it's obvious I won't end up in Ravenclaw or Slytherin," Ethan explained, to which Nocturne raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Really? I hope we both end up in Hufflepuff," Nocturne said with a shrug. Ethan couldn't contain his look of shock.

"Hufflepuff! But even the book implies-"

"Oh please, I bet they aren't that bad. They're the House of _Loyalty._ There's no House of Stupidity, every House is balanced. If anything, Hufflepuff is probably the best House to be in," Nocturne cut him off with an eye roll.

"Why?"

"Simple, all but Hufflepuff is prone to pride. Ravenclaw is intelligent, but I bet they usually can't keep their pride in check. Gryffindor would flaunt that Harry Potter was in their House, along with the Wealsey family. Slytherin has always been cocky due to blood purity, even if branded with the term traitors," Nocturne explained, Ethan raising an eyebrow at 'traitors'. Nocturne continued on however, not expanding on the branding. "Plus, if we were to think of our most likely Houses, they would be Gryffindor and Slytherin. I don't need to explain what would be bad about that," Nocturne said, an awkward silence following when he finished.

Ethan knew exactly what he meant. Being in two different Houses would of put a bit of pressure on any friendship, yet none worse than Gryffindor and Slytherin. The two were infamous rivals, yet after the permanent defeat of Voldemort, this rivalry had somehow became much worse. Ethan, even if a Muggleborn, knew the statistics. The chance of duels or being attacked by an offensive spell dramatically increased if you were in either Gryffindor or Slytherin, most of these caused by the rival House. Nowadays, friendships between Slytherin and Gryffindor was unheard of, let alone possible.

Still, Nocturne was never known as a person to let negativities affect him or let others tell him what to do. Extending a hand, he let his usual grin grow back across his face. "Bah, who cares what they say? We've been friends for years and no one is going to stop that, even if I have to face a million waffle irons and Exploding Snap decks!" Nocturne said happily. Ethan laughed at the inside joke before accepting the hand. "Friends through thick, thin, rivalries, girls, decks of cards, a boot to the face and waffle irons!" Nocturne declared.

"Friends through thick, thin, rivalries, girls, decks of cards, a boot to the face and waffle irons!" Epsilon declared as well, agreeing as he laughed, shaking hands with Nocturne.

Nocturne groaned. "I forgot the partridge in a pear tree!" Nocturne said with mock sadness. Ethan rolled his eyes at the lameness of the joke, yet laughed anyway. The jokes and laughter continued on the lonely train of two boys, not a care in the world as they enjoyed the comfort of knowing it wasn't the House that mattered, but the friendships they made.

For the moment, at least.

* * *

((Hello! As this is my first story in a while, it probably won't be the greatest thing I've ever written but nevertheless, it was a fun thing to write, plus probably one of my longest every chapters. Over two thousand words! First things first, though. This is a story that won't be in a fully canonical part of the Harry Potter universe. This is set in the Epilogue, 19 Years after the end of _'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. _Also, this story that, while featuring them, will _not _be focused on one of the main character's children. The focus will be on an OC, or Other Character to those not familiar with the term, and hopefully show my interpretation of what Hogwarts would be like in 2017, mainly the rivilries between Houses. Now, I know I am not anywhere _near _a perfect writer, so any critisms, comments and ectera I will pay attention to. Ideas for plots, chapters, even characters can also be suggested since I, to be perfectly honest, have no idea where this story is going but I will never _get_ anywhere without support! I know it may seem silly or not worth the point, but a PM or Review to say something as simple as "This is a great story!" is appreciated. As a writer with little motivation, knowing people read my stories and either pay attention to point out flaws or enjoy my perspective is highly enjoyable. After all, a Review or PM is _your_ opinion. Even if you tell me you hate it, explain how so I can make it better. That is what a writer is, after all. A person learning and improving from experience. So please, help encourage and improve me!))


	2. Pretty in Pink and Green Thumbs

((To those who alerted, sorry for the wait. While I'm not exactly happy with it, here it is. Introducing four new people, including the Potters and Rose, this will be the final introductory chapter and the next chapter will include the Sorting where, hopefully, things will get better from. Anyway, please enjoy!))

* * *

It had been half an hour before one of Ebony's new friends, a First Year like them whose name neither of the boys seemed to catch. Up until then, it seemed like Ebony was trying to make up for all their lives without a mother.

"And remember to clean your teeth, boys!" she called as she left.

In the worst possible way. "We will," the two droned for what seemed the millionth time. To be perfectly honest, the sister to both of them was only doing it to annoy them, a fact both boys noticed shortly after she began the torturous torrent of nagging. While Ebony viewed this as justice for them arriving far too early, Nocturne thought the opposite.

"We have to get her back! I wonder if I can still sic waffle irons on people," Nocturne wondered aloud.

"No! I had to endure that torture, I will _not_ subject my sister to the same thing!" Ethan said in a commanding tone. "Plus, where will you find a Muggle appliance at Hogwarts?" Ethan pointed out.

"True...maybe one of those suits of armour?" Nocturne suggested.

"_No!" _Ethan said in a tone of finality. Nocturne shrugged, either giving up or realising that such a topic won't be continued with Ethan. Nocturne moved onto a much better topic to discuss; Quidditch. Claimed to be the perfect conversation starter and changer in Europe, Quidditch is a subject which everyone can talk about. Even Ethan, a Muggleborn who only found out about his wizarding abilities via the Hogwarts letter, had quickly adapted to it and had picked up many of its rules, regulations and a great interest in the sport, despite Nocturne's obviously biased views in the international league. Coincidently, the Nordic National Quidditch team was being claimed as "the best by far" yet again by Nocturne. Ethan rolled his eyes. He knew the Nordic team hadn't won in decades.

"Yeah, the best at losing," Ethan mocked with a grin. Thus began a heated debate on the state of the teams, or "Why the Nordics were the best" versus "Why the English _are_ the best", which lasted until there was a sudden knock on the door of the compartment, a full fifteen minutes after the debate began. Both looked at each other and raised an eyebrow, argument completely forgotten. "Umm, you can enter?" Ethan said in a questioning tone. The sight that greeted them was not what they expected.

Ethan didn't know what he expected, but this boy certainly wasn't it. The boy had black hair that, unlike Ethan and Nocturnes' unruly and untidy hair, was neat and clean. He had a haircut which, while keeping it quite long for a boy, framed his pale face to somehow give him a cool yet sophisticated look. His eyes were a steel grey, the kind that seemed rarely unfocused and when glaring looked as sharp and steel-like as a sword just before it cleaned you in half. He wore the typical Hogwarts robes, even though the train hadn't even began moving, yet even then they seemed custom-made with special fabric. He had an air of intelligence that few were capable of having.

"'Ello. What's up Mr. Monopoly Junior?" Nocturne asked with a grin. Of course, Nocturne had to say something which made Ethan laugh at the newcomer's appearance. The new boy gave a cold look at Nocturne.

"Salutations. My name is not 'Monopoly', nor do I have such a title of 'Junior'. I am Orphne Rapp," the boy said, sitting as far away from the two as he could, though on Ethan's side. The boy had a slight accent that, even to someone who was normally good at picking accents like Ethan, was difficult to determine. If Ethan was to have an educated guess, it would be a mix of noble English, German and Greek yet his face seemed entirely English. Before Ethan could ponder this further, Nocturne had made another witty comment.

"Orphne isn't a name. Orpheus-" Nocturne began, though cut off by Orphne.

"I _refuse_ to be referred to in the same name as a fool," Orphne said sharply.

"Orphy?" Nocturne pressed with a grin, obviously annoying Orphne on purpose. Ethan knew that, while such a thing would not normally irritate Orphne, Nocturne was very good with words. He could convince you to danced naked down the hallway or phrase his words so the line between truth and lie became foggy and blurred. He could manipulate his voice so it could calm people down or to rile them up. Nocturne could even changed his voice completely and mimic someone else's speech perfectly. When Nocturne told Ethan he was practising ventriloquism, he instantly thought of how much trouble he was going to make. At the moment, however, he was using his gift to annoy his latest victim.

"No," Orphne said coldly, narrowing his eyes at the Norwegian.

"How about Princess Pretty in Pink?" Nocturne asked, grin widening. Orphne only glared at Nocturne, a steely glare that would of easily frightened Ethan. Nocturne, however, seemed completely unfazed. "Oh, come on. Pink would be your colour!" Nocturne exclaimed. Ethan stared at Orphne and barely contained his chuckle after imagining Orphne not only in pink robes, but with pink hair as well. Orphne pushed his lips together, making a very thin line, before exiting the compartment just as the Hogwarts Express blew its horn in warning, giving the amusing thought that Orphne's head had made the noise just like a cartoon character.

"Sorry!" Ethan called after Orphne, feeling slightly guilty. Nocturne only grinned and laid down on his side of the compartment.

"Anyone else imagine Orphy in pink?" Nocturne asked to Ethan, chuckling. Ethan gave Nocturne a look.

"Bestfriends or friendly rivals," Ethan repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, can't live life without enemies," Nocturne said with a shrug. "Plus, the next few seeking seats will be here soon enough," Nocturne continued. There was another knock and this time, the person -or rather people- barged right in.

"We're allowed to sit here right? Great, thanks," a girl with flaming red bushy hair said, not even really asking as she sat where Orphne had sat before. Another person, this one with black hair, barged in shortly afterwards.

"Never mind her, she's normally like that," the black haired boy said, a grin which looked scarily like Nocturne's. Ethan instantly had a feeling of dread. Whoever this guy was, having him and Nocturne in the same room seemed like giving a flamethrower to a pyromaniac. Nocturne moved himself to a sitting position and the black haired boy sat next to him. Another black haired boy, probably the other's younger brother, stood outside the compartment listening. Ethan gave a sigh.

"You might as well entered, since these two have," Ethan said, the younger black-haired boy smiling and entering. Ethan was silently glad _one_ had manners. "I'm Ethan Gaia, and you are?" Epsilon asked.

The older black haired boy's grin grew wider. "You don't know? Well, I'm here to _escort_ my younger bro and cousin around the train. _I'm _James Potter," the older black haired boy said smugly, phrasing 'escort' as if he meant 'babysitting'. Ethan gave slightly shocked expression. Nocturne, however...

"Well done, you pot plants. Anyway," Nocturne said, quite successfully wiping away James's smug look. "I'm Nocturne, nice to meet you," Nocturne continued, adding a mock bow at the end, gaining an eye roll from everyone in the compartment.

"I'm Rose Weasley, daughter to Ron and Hermione Weasley!" the girl with bushy red hair exclaimed proudly.

"Oh, look at me! My families so famous, I'm _bound_ to get a loser boyfriend and snobbish friends!" Nocturne mocked, voice identical to Rose's, before adding a high pitch, girlish squeal that made all the boys laugh and make Rose's face match her hair. "What about you, oh quiet one?" Nocturne asked the younger Potter, voice back to normal.

"I'm Albus Severus," the younger brother replied, a smile on his face compared to James's grin and Rose's scowl.

"Albus Sever-us well," Nocturne joked. Ethan couldn't help groaning at the pun while Rose and James rolled their eyes.

"Already heard that one," Albus stated. Nocturne didn't seem deterred though, thinking up the next pun.

"Well, my job _escorting_ my relatives is done, I'd better go with the rest of my Gryffindor before I die of puns," James said, once again suggesting babysitting. Nocturne seemed excited for some odd reason.

"You can kill people with bad puns!"

"It's called death by boredom," Rose informed.

"Ha! Told you boredom was deadly!" Nocturne mocked to Epsilon.

"Because _you _do the most dangerous things when bored. Like trying to find out if Exploding Snap cards explode when _set on fire_. I don't think the poor man will ever get his eyebrows back," Ethan scolded.

"Hey, he should of known better. See you, James," Nocturne said, giving a mock salute to the leaving Potter, who grinned and mock saluted back. "Now, who here wishes to hear a tale of the pink Ethan?" Nocturne asked the remaining two.

"Please don't," Ethan groaned.

"Good, a picture paints a thousand words anyway,"

"Hey, give those here!"

"No!"

As the two old friends struggled in front of their two new friends, the Hogwarts Express carried on, drawing closer to the legendary castle.


	3. Weapots and PPIPs

Ethan had realised, many times, that time flies much quicker when you are having fun. One minute it seemed like he was wrestling the pictures away from Nocturne, the next minute he found himself in his Hogwarts robe being guided through the crowds of students by Albus. He found himself barely keeping up with the three ahead with the majority of taller students rushing in a different direction, towards the carriages. He read that First Years got to have a boat ride to the Entrance of Hogwarts. A slower path, but he had read the view was awe inspiring.

"First Years, over here!" a voice boomed. Ethan looked around to see the giant person – half-giant, actually – that easily stood above even the Seventh Years. He had wild, greying hair and an equally wild beard. Nevertheless, despite his obvious aging, his eyes showed the joy of a young man. He held the pride of a man who thoroughly enjoyed his work, a man who would do it until his body no longer let him. This was Professor Rubeus Hagrid, or Hagrid for short, Gamekeeper and Professor of the Care of Magical Creatures class.

Many of the First Years looked frightened by the man, but Rose and Albus greeted the Professor with the same enthusiasm as greeting their favourite uncle. "Hello, Hagrid!" the two greeted happily, ignoring the strange looks they got from other First Years for doing so. The man looked towards the two and smiled.

"'Ello, Rose, Albus! Where's your brother and cousins?" Hagrid asked Albus before looking around the crowd.

"James is off talking to his Second Year friends," Rose sighed, as if it was to be expected.

"And Roxanne is..." Albus trailed off, looking around for someone as he did.

"Here! Hello Hagrid!" a girl's cheerful voice called, before a blur with red hair hugged the half-giant. Hagrid laughed while Rose sighed. Ethan could of almost sworn he heard Rose mutter 'great' in a sarcastic tone.

"Hello Roxanne! How is your sister? Is she doing well?" Hagrid asked.

"How many of you are there? Should we watch the ground in case another one pops out?" Nocturne joked. Rose glared at Nocturne and huffed.

"Nice to meet you all again, but best we have the reunion 'til you can all come over to my 'ouse, near the forest," Hagrid advised, looking at his watch before turning his attention back to the crowd of First Years. "First Years, four to a boat!" Hagrid called. Ethan was confused until he leaned to the side to see the row of boats sitting on the sparkling water. Nocturne made some sort of fat joke which cause Rose to give him a vicious glare.

"Well, we better leave you Weasleys and Potters to your own boat. Don't want to see what happens if you try with five...though I am curious if I can make Rose's face match her hair in anger," Nocturne said mischievously, grin returning. Ethan pulled his friend along before the troublemaker could try.

"So, who were they?" Ethan could make out Roxanne say before the chatter and distance overcame the 'Weapot' boat, as Nocturne jokingly referred it in his aimless self-chatter. Said aimless chatter was starting to get on Ethan's nerves, a fact Nocturne knew very well. Ethan sighed in relief when Nocturne had found something else to amuse himself with.

"It's Pip! How're you doing?" Nocturne asked before suddenly jumping into a boat and wrapping an arm around someone's shoulder. Ethan paled slightly when he realised it was a now very annoyed and death glaring Orphne, giving a look which Ethan would hide from if it was pointed at him. Nocturne being Nocturne, however, simply grinned and gave a slight wave.

"Pip?" the boy sitting opposite Orphne asked. He had blond hair, pale skin and an air of importance about him. Ethan guessed how long it would be before Nocturne started annoying him, too. His guess was measured in seconds.

"P-P-I-P, Ppip! Stands for Princess Pretty in Pink! And you must be the other Princess, right?" Nocturne said happily. The boy glared at Nocturne. Ethan tried his hardest not to imagine this boy pink as well.

"I am Scorpius Malfoy, not some pink-loving royalty. And this boat is reserved for only those who are most likely going to be in Slytherin, so leave," Scorpius said with a clear tone of hostility and snideness, though keeping his cool better than Orphne.

"Really! Yay, we'll be dorm mates!" Nocturne said in his most childish, happy voice, wrapping his other arm around Scorpius' shoulder. Ethan ran to the 'Weapot' boat, despite his previous plans, with a look of urgency. Ethan did not want to be around when Orphne and Scorpius' faces had unfrozen from their horrified expressions. By the sound of Nocturne's hysterical laughter, he at least knew that Nocturne hadn't finally had Karma's revenge yet.

Ethan looked ahead to notice, sadly, that the 'Weapot' boat was full, as was his sister's with her friends, chattering away aimlessly just as much as Nocturne did. Ethan turned his attention away from them before he could get annoyed, reminding himself it was a 'girl thing' and not as aimless as Nocturne's self-chatter could ever be. 'After all, who would possibly question the shape of cabbages in regular conversation?' Ethan assured himself. Ethan almost groaned when he walked up to the last boat left with empty spaces, one with a pair of twins which looked like they would do exactly that sitting right in it.

Dressed in robes which looked like it was soaked in some strange substance, the two male twins smiled at Ethan. They held a dreamy expression and wore strange necklaces and bracelets made of all types of stuff. They even wore three-pronged Jester Hats instead of the regulation wizard and witches' hat, the ends of said prongs tipped with more strange things. They had blond hair, too long to be boyish even by Nocturne's 'masculinely long' opinion, and blue, hazy eyes. "Hello," the two twins greeted in perfect harmony, a fact which creeped Ethan out slightly.

"Ermm, hello. I'm Ethan Gaia. Nice to meet you?" Ethan said, sitting in the boat while trying to sit as far away from the twins as he could. To Ethan, these guys were too weird for him. Ethan sighed and relaxed, reminding himself there was probably a lot more strange things in the Wizarding World than just a pair of weird twins.

"Hello, Ethan," the twins said, still smiling in their dreamy sense, not helping Ethan in convincing himself to relax around them.

"I'm Lysander," one of the twins said, Ethan very much glad they can talk separately at least.

"I'm Locan," the other twin said, Ethan now trying to find a way to tell the two apart.

"Scamander," the twins said in unison. Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"As in the famous Magizoologist?" Ethan asked. He only remembered him from one of the books in Flourish and Blotts, a guide for Magical Creatures the manager said he wouldn't need at all unless he takes Care of Magical Creatures in Third Year. The two smiled brightly at the recognition.

"Why, yes! Our great grandfather. Most of our family has been Magizoologists, though our mother also runs the Quibbler," the two twins explained.

"Quibbler? What's that?" Ethan asked. The twins looked at each other in shock, which Ethan found strange comfort in as it was a quite welcome change from their quite creepy dreamy voices and looks, before nodding in understanding.

"You must be a Muggleborn. Pretty impressive you know about our great grandfather," the twins said. Ethan shrugged.

"I don't want to be too far behind in knowledge compared to all the wizarding families. Hey, you mind if we meet up again sometime after the Sorting if you're not in my House? I wouldn't mind learning about Magical Creatures," Ethan asked.

"Not if you mind being our friend," the twins said, smiling.

"Sure!" Ethan said. _'I guess I'm not that great a judge of character. These guys are pretty nice, once you get past their weirdness,'_ Ethan thought. As Nocturne ran past, laughing with to P.P.I.P.s on his tail, Ethan sighed. _'And at least these guys could make it past the first day without me,'_ Ethan thought, giving a sympathetic smile as he pulled Nocturne into his boat as it started moving away from the shore. _'Then again, that's what friends are for,'_

* * *

(Sorry for the lateness, delay, and the like. I really have no excuse. Please point out anything I need to fix, since I really haven't looked through this one in the rush to get it done while inspiration was with me. Also, I know Locan and Lysander shouldn't be in Ethan's year, but I felt like adding some Lovegood madness to the story. Next chapter _will_ be the Sorting, but I would like to hear your opinions on who should go where apart from Nocturne and Ethan. Plus it will give me indication you read the whole chapter. Reviews will be gladly welcomed, even if to point out mistakes or to say 'such and such is not in character!'. Or to yell at me for the delay. Hopefully my inspiration to continuing writing this into a full story will continue!)


End file.
